Guano-sower.



J. R. AYERS.

GUANO SOWER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1912.

Patented July 22, 1913.

2 SHBETS-SHBBT 1.

WITNESSES J. R. AYERS.

GUANO SOWBR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1 912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR fits/11107716] Patented July 22, 1913.

JAMES R. AYERS, F PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

GUANO-SOWER.'

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1913.

Application filed May 1, 1912. Serial No. 694,549.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. AYERS, :a citizen of the United States,residing at Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and ;State. ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guano-Sowers, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to ,the accompanying drawings.

1a. This invention relates to agricultural machinery and has specialreference to a guano sower of the type wherein the guano is carried in ahopper and distributed therefrom in a furrow.

One object of the invention is to provide a single lever which willcontrol a cut offv for the feed, and at the same time move an inner gatecovering shelf, this operation having previously required two levers.

20., Another object of the invention is to provide means for closing theescape gate of the hopper which will. operate simulta neously with themeans for throwing the device out of gear.

Another object of the invention is to provide for an improved form ofbearing for the upper end'of the shifting rod, the bearing beingcombined with an adjusting clamp.

301 With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ingeneral of certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements ofparts as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accorn--panying drawings, and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like charactors of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and Figure 1 is a vertical median sectiontaken through a guano dis- :tributer constructed inaccordance with thisinvention.- Fig. 2 is a detail bottom plan view showing the partsbeneath the hopper. Fig. 8 is a detail partial rear view partly insection. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the rear upper portion ofthe hopper and the members adjacent thereto. Fig. 5 is a detail planview of the lower portion of the hopper. Fig. 6 is a detail view of therear or covering wheels. Fig. 7 is a detail view .-of a certain sleevewith the lug thereon used to control the gate closing lever. Fig. 8 is adetail perspective of the regulating gate.- Fig. 9 is a detail sectionshowing the mounting of the front wheels. Fig. 10 is a detail viewshowing the means of adjusting the-handles. Fig. 11 is a detail view ofa certain shelf or cover plate.

Mounted upon an axle 10 are ground wheels 11, each of which is providedwith a hollow skeleton hub 12, within the recess of which is carriedaratchet 13, the same being keyed or otherwise fastened to the axle thesebrackets are frame members 16. Car

ried by the upper ends of these brackets is a hopper bottom 17 which ispreferably made of cast iron, malleable 1ron or the like material.Extending upward fromthis hop- -per bottom is a hopper 18 preferably ofwood. The upper ends of the members 16 are connected by means of asuitable brace bar and each of these members is braced to the upper edgeof the hopper by a brace 19.

The hopper bottom 17 is provided with an opening 20 which is preferablyclosed by a plate 21 having a beveled gear 22 formed thereon. Extendingupward from the plate 21 is a boss 23 having a suitable recess thereinfor the reception of the lower end of a rod or shaft 24 whereon ismounted a collar 25 provided witha series of agitator arms '26.

Extending across the top of the hopper is a cross bar 27 in which theupper end of the 'shaft 24' is journaled. On the shaft 24 is provided aworm 28 which meshes with a worm wheel 29 fixed upon a shaft 30extending transversely of the hopper. On the shaft 30 are carriedagitator arms 31, each formed of a piece of split metal, splitattheends, the split portions being bent in oppositely disposed directions asindicated at 32. It will benoted that as the shaft-24 is 1'0; tated, thesocket and lower end thereof being square, the agitator fingers 26 willstir the material in the lower part of-the hopper while the agitator 31will act in like manner in the material in the upper part thereof. Inorder to actuate the plate 21 there-1s splined upon the axle 10 a sleeve33 which carries a beveled gear 34 adapted to mesh, when in oneposition, with the gear 22 and when moved to another position to be outof mesh therewith. In order to hold the two I 56 havin normally in meshthere is provided a spring outer face of the gear 34 and at its otherend against one of the members 15.

In order to hold the plate 21 in position there is provided a spider 36which is secured to the underside of the hopper bottom 17, the legs ofthe spider extending over the plate. Carried by this spider is a guidefinger 37 between which and the legs of the spider moves a rib 38 formedon a sliding member or sleeve 39 arranged to slide on the axle 10, thelatter being revolubly mounted in said sleeve or member. The sleeve-39has rearwardly projecting lug 40 and secured to the member 15 'adjacentthe sleeve 39 is a guide 41 wherethrough passes a rod 42, the lower endof this rod being bent as at 43 to provide a crank. The end of thiscrank is fitted in a suitable opening in the lug 40. Now by the rotationof the rod 42 the crank 43 will be actuated and the .sleeve 39'caused tomove so as to force the gear 34 out of en gagement with the gear 22 andto permit of its coming into engagement therewith.

At the rear of the hopper bottom 17 there is provided a delivery gate oropening 44. Extending downward from the hopper bottom 17 is a sprin post45 whereon is pivoted an arm 46 Whic carries on its rear end a gate 47On the spring post 45 is a spring 48 (Fig. 1) which constantly urges thearm to close the gate, one end of this spring being engaged against oneof the legs of the spider 36 whilethe other end engages against theinner side of the arm 46. Upon the sleeve 39: is provided a lug 49 whichbears against the innerside of the arm 46 and thus controls the positionof that-arm in connection with the spring 48. Now it will be observedthat as the sleeve 39 is moved to throw the two beveled gears out ofmesh, at the same time the arm 46 will be released from restraint by thelug 47 and thus permit the spring 48 to close the gate.

The spider 36 is provided with two rearwardlyv and downwardly extendinglugs 50 which are connected by a cross bar 51. Carried by this cross baris a distributer plate 52 in the form of a hollow trough having anupwardly open hook 52 at its forward end and in order to retain thishook on the cross bar there is provided a cover plate 53 suitablysecured by means of any ordinary mechanism so that the distributer plateis retained on the cross bar. This plate is pro= .v'ided at its rear endwith segmental spherical elevated portion 54 so that the distribution ismade even across the entire width of the plate.

On the upper end of each of the members 16 there is carried arose clutchmember 55 wherewith co-acts a similar clutch member handles 57 extendingup therefrom. T ese parts are all held together by means of a singlebolt 58 whereto the brace 19 has its respective rear end connected.

One of the members 55 is provided with an upwardly extending lug 59 andto this lug is bolted a bracket 60 having a forwardly extending ear 61provided thereon. This bracket 60 is provided further with a stop member62 and through this bracket extends the upper end of the rod 42, thesame being provided above the bracket with a crank handle 63. Thus theadjustment for the handles and the adjustment to throw the clutch in andout and open and close the shut-off gate are difi'erently operated andit will be noted that by the operation of the handle 63 the clutch andshut oif are simultaneously operated. 1 Extending from the rear wall ofthe hopper 18 is a bolt 64 forming a short shaft. This bolt is providedon one end with a head 65 which fits between lugs 66 formed on the endof a cover plate 67 so that as the bolt is rotated the cover plate willbe moved.

This cover plate fits down closely over the path of the fingers 26 andis arrangedv to control the amount of fertilizer permitted to be actedon by the fingers itbeing simply'necessary tovary the position of thecover late in order to accomplish this result. The other end of the boltpasses through a lever. 68, the latter being securely clamped to thislever so that asthe lever is moved the bolt will be rotated. Carried bya lug 69 on the spider 36 and by the bottom 17 is a spring post 70 whichis surrounded by a spring 71 which bears at its lower end against thelug 69 and at its upper end against the pivoted portion of a member 70which carries a gate 71 arranged to regulate the opening 44. This member70 has its rearwardly extended portion connected.

by a link 7 2 with the lever-68. By means of this arrangement as thegate 71 is closed so, simultaneously, is the member 67 raised or loweredwith reference to the fingers 26.

Firmly secured to the hopper bottom 17 isa hitch iron 73 which issubstantially V- sh-aped and is provided at its forward end withupstanding arm74 having a series of openings 75 therein for theattachment of a clevis 76. This hitch iron is braced to the hopper bymeans of braces 77 suitably secured thereto. In the bottom part of the Vof the hitch iron there is provided a downwardly extending ear 7 8 andthrough this ear passes a V-shaped rod 79 having threaded outer ends. Onthis rod at each side of the lug 78 is a washer 80. Outside of thewasher are provided thimbles 82 whereon are fitted the hubs 83 of disks84, the latter being held in position by suitable washers 85 which bearagainst the ends of the sleeves and are held in position by nuts 86.Thus, 'by this construction no strain is brought upon the hitch ironlaterally since all the strain intended to separate the two' disks 84 isbrought directly on the'rod 79. V

At'87 Fig. 6 is a substantially V-shaped rod having outturned ends whichare pivoted in the members 15 and extend downwardly and rearwardlytherefrom. Carried upon this member 87 is a plate 88 which rests'on topof the members 87 and is provided with a downwardly extended portion 89for the reception of the shank 90 of a colter 91 which has suitableopenings 92 in the upper end to provide an adjustment therefor. Beneaththe members 87 is a washer 93 and a bolt 94 serves to hold the plate andwasher together.

Extending rearwardly from the plate 88 are eyes 95 wheret-hrough passesthe bottom end of a bent rod 96. This rod is surrounded at the bottomend with a spring 97 which serves to constantly brace the upper end ofthe rod backward. On the upper end of this rod is an adjustable clamp 97which carries a hook 98, the latter extendingover the cross bar 18 sothat by proper adjustment ofv the clamp on the rod 96 the depth of thecut of the rear disks may be regulated. The rod 96 is provided with aZ-shaped bend 99 intermediate its length so that by depressing thehandles 57 until this hook catches on the cross bar 19 the device may betransported from place to place on the ground Wheels 11 without eitherof the disks touching the ground.

Between the plate 88 and Washer 93 is held a V-sha ed rod 100 whereon ismounted the rear dis s 101, the construction being precisely similar tothat of the front disks except that clamps 102 are used to space thedisks on the rod so that the width of the cut at the rear may beadjusted.

There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient device of the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction thereof without departing from the material principles ofthe invention and it is therefore not wished to confine the invention tothe exact form herein shown and described, biit it is wished rt includeall such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is Y 1. Ina guano sower, a hopper, said hop-' per being provided with a deliveryopening in its lower portion, an agitator mounted to rotate in ahorizontal plane adjacent said delivery opening, a gate for saiddelivery opening, a plate pivoted insaid hopper to swing in asubstantially vertical direction to and from the agitator, and commonmeans to close said gate and move said plate.

2. In a guano sower, a hopper provided with a delivery opening, arotatable agitator mounted in advance of said delivery opening androtating in a horizontal plane, a gate pivoted to swing in a horizontalplane beneath said hopper to control the opening, a pivot pin extendingthrough the rear wall of said hopper above said opening, a plate havingone end fixed to said pin to swing to and from the. agitator, a leverfixed to the other end of said pivot pin whereby when the lever is movedthe plate will be swung, and a connection between said lever and ate. gIn testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES R. AYERS. Witnesses:

J. R. AYERS, Jr., J P. STEPHENSON.

